


My Loyalty Shall Never Waver (even if it results in death)

by TheRoomWhereItHappened347



Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Betrayal, Build up to a war, Fukuroudani, Hurt Bokuto Koutarou, Injured Bokuto Koutarou, M/M, Owls, Prompts:, Royalty AU, Spy - Freeform, This is turning from a whump prompt to a full on story lol, Traitor, When I wrote this I was thinking of Merlin, Whump, Whumptober 2020, Worried Akaashi Keiji, because that’s the only decent royalty I could think of, more tags will be added, poisoned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26864953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRoomWhereItHappened347/pseuds/TheRoomWhereItHappened347
Summary: Standing beside Akaashi, Bokuto marvelled at the prince’s beauty; pale but clear skin, delicate but strong hands, beautiful green eyes. He often wondered how someone so pretty graced his presence on Bokuto everyday.Oh wait, Bokuto was his knight, of course Akaashi graced him with his presence.
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Akaashi Keiji
Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954654
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1) When I say I’ve been meaning to write a Royalty AU, I mean the idea has been sitting on a document since April and Whumptober gave me the idea to write it.  
> I spent most of my free time doing this so I’m praying it’ll come out alright.
> 
> 2) Transferring this to ao3 and finding out it was around above 1900 words was a very nice thing! I always aim for around 1000+
> 
> 3) I swear my other two Whumptober fics will get updated with a second chapter, just...not yet (06/10/20).  
> (Edit (26/10/20): they have a second chapter) 
> 
> 4) I was so tired when I posted this I completely forgot to mention that this AU (plus the prompt) was inspired by  
> @ maddox_rider on Instagram! I adore their art and it was inspired by this: 
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKlzw0DeeT/?igshid=rfgpzwxa8mfs
> 
> Go check out their art, it’s absolutely amazing!
> 
> 5) Leave a kudos and a comment! 
> 
> Enjoy the fic :)

Standing beside Akaashi, Bokuto marvelled at the prince’s beauty; pale but clear skin, delicate but strong hands, beautiful green eyes. He often wondered how someone so pretty graced his presence in Bokuto everyday. 

Oh wait, Bokuto was his knight, of course Akaashi graced him with his presence, not that he was complaining. 

“-which is why we need more guards on shift during the night. Mujinazaka and Morikawa have been scouting our borders more often and I feel there is an impending attack from them,” Akaashi finished. “Do you have anything to add Bokuto-san?” Bokuto snapped out of his thoughts in order to respond. 

“Kuroo reported soldiers from Nohebi and Morikawa nearing both Nekoma and our land. He also suspects they may be working together, however he isn’t sure.”

“Konoha-san?” 

“Nothing new here, however in Miyagi, Shiratorizawa attacked Aoba Johsai and almost won, but Johzenji came in last minute and saved them.”

“Isn’t that the fourth time Shiratorizawa has attacked them?” Akaashi asked, face showing nothing but eyes showing alarm.

“Unfortunately, yes. King Ushijima must be desperate for something they have,” Bokuto replied. “Let’s hope they don’t ally with Itachiyama, otherwise Aoba Johsai will fall.”

The next half an hour was spent planning new strategies and setting up more patrols before Akaashi deemed it too late to do anymore, dismissing everyone but Bokuto.

Bokuto hummed as he collected the papers that they had been using previously, holding them in his right hand so that he could hold Akaashi’s hand with his left. 

“Bokuto-san, it isn’t completely necessary to hold the papers, I can do it myself,” Akaashi sighed.

“I know, but I want to,” he flashed Akaashi a grin, “besides, your father would scold me if you were holding them and I was next to you with nothing. He would think I’m being lazy.” 

“You don’t know what my father would think.”

“But I have a rough idea.” He kissed Akaashi on the forehead before holding out his hand for the prince, grinning again when Akaashi took his hand and blushed lightly. Honestly, one day Akaashi’s cuteness would render him useless and he wouldn’t be able to react to anything.

After walking back to Akaashi’s room and dropping off the papers, they promised to meet at the owl barn in 30 minutes so they could relax, both of them needing to change out of their formal attire. 

Bokuto sprinted to the armoury to drop off his armour, ignoring the empty sword scabbards -some of the knights must still be practicing- before going to his room to shower and change into casual attire, keen to wash the sweat and mud from training off of his body. 

He choose to leave his hair down, knowing Akaashi loved the rare days Bokuto left his hair down despite it often falling in his face, before he sheathed his sword and made his way down to the owl barn. 

Owls hooted softly as he walked into the barn, many of them already acquainted with Bokuto and pleased to see him. 

Akaashi looked ethereal as an owl landed on his arm; the sun’s golden light bathed him and lit up his normally stoic features, showing a soft smile and calm eyes. 

Many townsfolk described Akaashi as the ice prince, however Bokuto knew this was far from the truth. His lover may appear emotionless, however if people knew where to look then they would see otherwise; the twinkle in his eye when he was happy, the slightly raised eyebrow when he was shocked or skeptic, the clench in his jaw when he was determined. 

It was the minuscule things that made him love Akaashi even more. 

“Bokuto-san?” He was startled out of his thoughts by Akaashi’s call.

“You know you can call me Koutarou when we’re alone,” he whined as he put on one of the leather cuffs, tying it to his left arm before offering a piece of meat to the small brown owl Akaashi was holding. 

“Force of habit,” Akaashi gave a small shrug, careful not the jolt the owl as it happily chewed on its food.

They caught up on each other’s day, having not spent time together except for the meeting; Akaashi described the rules of reaching out to other kingdoms in order to form an alliance whilst Bokuto rambled about training and how the new recruits were learning quickly. Soon, Fukuroudani would have another troop of soldiers ready to fight. 

It would be impossible to miss the tension between Fukuroudani and Mujinazaka, however there was an underlying worry that there would be a war in Miyagi between Shiratorizawa and some other kingdom. Shiratorizawa had pissed off too many people with their attacks, anyone could tell. 

“Koutarou,” he looked away from the owl he was petting, seeing how serious Akaashi’s face was. “Say there was a war and my father died...I would be made king.” That was a statement, not a question. “But what if I don’t want to be?” 

Woah, okay, that was something he never expected. 

“You’re probably thinking I’ve lost it or something-” Bokuto shook his head “-but there’s only so far I can go with my decisions before they become difficult and I have to prioritise the kingdom.” Akaashi’s father had definitely said this to him. “What if it comes down to choosing between you and the kingdom?” Bokuto couldn’t miss the obvious fear in Akaashi’s eyes, but he knew this might come eventually.

“Keiji, I remember when I swore the knight’s oath when I passed all my tests. Part of it is swearing your allegiance to Fukuroudani, even if it means dying for it.” He paused before continuing, not sure on how to say the next part. “When becoming king, it’s more than likely you’ll have to swear something similar...agh this isn’t coming out right,” he frowned. “All I can say is follow your heart and that you’ll know what to do when the situation comes.” He felt like he’d blown his chance to reassure Akaashi, however he couldn’t contemplate it anymore because a dark brown owl with a piece of paper burst in from one of the windows, choosing to land on Akaashi’s vacant arm.

“Isn’t this Sepekuru?” Bokuto asked as he untied the paper from the owl’s leg, giving Akaashi a dead field mouse to feed the owl as thanks.

“Yes. I wonder why Kuroo sent her so soon, she only left here 2 days ago.” They both startled as Sepekuru flew up to a higher perch. 

Bokuto frowned as he read through Kuroo’s letter; the more he read, the worse the situation became.

“We have to get this to the king now.”  
____________________________________________

All the royalty and knights who were close to the king and Akaashi were alerted that there could be a traitor in their ranks, so now everyone on edge. 

The king ordered Bokuto to stay near to Akaashi as much as possible, changing Bokuto’s schedule so that Konoha would take on more shifts of training future knights whilst Bokuto helped Akaashi with his duties. 

It wasn’t like Akaashi couldn’t protect himself, the prince was perfectly capable of wielding a sword -Bokuto may or may not have started some late night sparring sessions every Friday night- but there was no harm in being extra cautious. 

Kuroo’s letter had warned there was a Nohebi, Morikawa or Ichibayashi spy in each kingdom located in the Tokyo and Hyogo region and that they needed to weed out the spies fast before too much information was given away. Nekoma had already caught their spy, which is how they got the information, but everyone needed to be careful.

____________________________________________

Bokuto cheered internally as the raindrop he rooted for won the race on the window, rain assaulting the kingdom. It’d been a while since Fukuroudani had seen such a fierce storm.

“Who knew the paperwork side of being prince could be so boring?” Bokuto asked as he looked away from the window, having forced himself to be quiet and fiddle with his bracelet (Akaashi owned a matching one) to make sure Akaashi could work in peace.

“That’s what I asked father when I started doing this,” Akaashi gave him a soft smile that made his heart flutter, “but he said it was important to my skills.” 

There was a knock at the door before a newly-appointed messenger -Arugumi- slowly walked in, relaxing slightly when Akaashi nodded at him.

“Pardon the intrusion; the king has called a meeting at 5 in the southern chamber and he asks you to bring the battle plans,” Arugumi announced, closing the door again when Akaashi dismissed him.

“He’s doing fairly well keeping up with everything around here,” Bokuto commented. “You think he’ll get head messenger by the end of the year?” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Akaashi said neutrally. “It takes a while to get that far and Arugumi has only been around here for a year.”

“Eh, it’s a possibility. You reckon it’s about Nohebi and Morikawa moving further into our land?”

“Possibly.”  
____________________________________________

Thunder rumbled as Bokuto and Akaashi walked downstairs to the southern chamber, torches lighting the stairway a warm gold. 

“It’s weird that father called the meeting in the southern chamber, normally he calls them in the hall,” Akaashi said before frowning.

“Maybe he prefers it being warm? After all, the hall can get cold during storms and the thunder disturbs him, so the chamber should be quiet enough.” 

“Maybe.” 

Something felt off though, but Bokuto never did feel right during autumn storms, they always had some viciousness to them. 

Opening the door for Akaashi, Bokuto found the room was dark and could faintly make out chairs stacked like they were last time he entered here. The only light source came from the hallway and was that a flash of silver-

He shoved Akaashi back before drawing his sword, it making a resounding clang with another sword. The owner’s face was hidden by a hood, so Bokuto couldn’t immediately tell who they were.

“What-” Akaashi gasped, still in shock from Bokuto’s harsh shove.

“Go find Konoha and the others now!” Bokuto exclaimed, pushing back at the other’s sword until it fell back.

“What about you?”

“I don’t matter right now Keiji, just go!” He didn’t care if he came off as harsh, he needed Akaashi to get somewhere safe.  
____________________________________________

Tripping on the final stair, Akaashi sprinted through the hallways as he called out for Konoha, not caring that he would be disrupting the royal household.

Reaching the knight’s quarters, he ran into Saruki, causing the knight to stumble and himself to nearly fall backwards.

“Akaashi-sama, what’s wrong-?” 

“Bokuto’s fighting the traitor,” he panted, “around the southern chamber-”

“Bokuto’s fighting who now?” Konoha asked as he came around the corner with Komi, both of them looking confused.

“We need to get to the southern chamber now,” Saruki told the other two, seeing as Akaashi was too out of breath to go into detail. 

Akaashi tried to keep up with them as they ran, however his earlier sprint had tired him out and he fell slightly behind.

By the time he arrived, Bokuto was on the ground with the guy on top of him landing a nasty punch to his face, both their swords lying on the ground next to them. 

“Oi!” Konoha yelled, tackling the guy off of Bokuto and punching him in the jaw. 

“Your highness, wait here,” Komi told him before rushing to pick up a beaten-up Bokuto.

Akaashi observed as Konoha restrained and knocked out the person, taking off their hood to reveal-

“What the hell? Isn’t this that messenger...uh, Arugumi? He’s the traitor?” Konoha asked disbelievingly. 

“Bokuto-san...” Bokuto’s lip and cheek were bleeding and his robes were torn, blood dyeing the grey fabric brown. 

“I’ll take care of this guy,” Saruki pointed to Arugumi, “you take care of Bokuto. Take him to Suzumeda.”

“Will do,” Konoha replied, helping Komi by taking half a semi-conscious Bokuto’s weight, with Akaashi leading them to the healer’s quarters. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) This may or may not turn into a long fanfiction depending on how I write the plot. I’ve got a good idea of where I’m going with this, but I’m debating on separating it into separate stories. Who knows, I’ll figure it out eventually 🤷♀️ 
> 
> 2) I don’t know how quickly I’ll update this considering I have exams and I can’t write as often, but I’ll see. 
> 
> 3) Angst week is soon and I’m definitely going to post for that, they may just be over November instead of one week.
> 
> 4) Enjoy the fic and leave a kudos and a comment!

Akaashi took the now-warm cloth off of Bokuto’s forehead, dipping it in the cold water before placing it where it had been before. 

It’d been a day since Arugumi was revealed as the traitor and he was under questioning, however Akaashi hadn’t left the Suzumeda’s healing room since he’d arrived with Konoha and Komi. 

Bokuto had woken up briefly, harsh pants and moans escaping him as Suzumeda wrapped the slashes across his chest, sleep claiming him soon after.

Heat radiated from his weak form, there being poison in his blood stream due to the cuts across his chest which caused Bokuto to develop a fever, shivers wracking his body. It’d been so high that Suzumeda needed to take off Bokuto’s top so he could cool down.

As he refreshed the cloth too quickly for his liking, Konoha walked in and sat on a stool, fists clenched and body tense.

“Anything new?” Akaashi asked, disliking the frustrated aura that radiated from the sandy-haired knight.

“Nothing,” Konoha spat. “Arugumi has kept his mouth shut ever since the attack.” Akaashi frowned, thinking of possible ways to deal with the problem. 

“What have you tried so far?” 

“Interrogation. We’re contemplating torture, but I don’t know how far that’ll get us.” 

“If he doesn’t crack soon, I’ll ask for Kuroo to come here.” 

“You’ll go that far this quickly?” 

“That was an attack that was more than likely meant for me that Bokuto took, either way it’s an offence and a possible attempt to start a war.” 

Konoha didn’t reply, instead looking at Bokuto. “Suzumeda said he’ll be okay, right?” 

“She said he’d recover, but it’ll be a while before he’ll be back in action. The poison is attacking his immune system and it’ll wipe his energy fighting it, let alone dealing with his cuts.” 

They sat in silence for a while, Akaashi refreshing the cloth on Bokuto’s head once it became too warm as Konoha contemplated internally.

Bokuto’s hand twitched, Akaashi’s eyes catching the sudden action. Was Bokuto awake now?

“K-Keiji?” Bokuto hoarsely asked, now gaining Konoha’s attention. 

“Koutarou? Do you want something to drink?” Bokuto nodded weakly, but Konoha was one step ahead, already filling up a cup with water and handing it to Akaashi; he gently used one hand to support Bokuto’s head and the other to hold the water.

He didn’t care that Konoha was watching; all the knights were aware of their relationship and supported it, sometimes covering for them when they were out on dates.

It took a few minutes, but Bokuto eventually finished drinking the contents, Akaashi laying the knight’s head back down on the futon. 

“How long has it been?” 

“A day. Arugumi being interrogated as we speak but he hasn’t said anything yet,” Akaashi already knew what Bokuto’s questions would be, but he needed to answer the final one before the knight could rest. “Yes, I’m fine, you’re the only one who was injured.”

“‘Kay...” Bokuto drifted back to sleep soon after.  
“Akaashi,” his eyes met Konoha’s, “you should go to your chambers and change. You’ve been here for the past day, I’m sure Bokuto will be fine if you’re gone for a few hours.” 

Akaashi pursed his lips. He really didn’t want to leave his lover’s feverish side, too concerned that Bokuto would wake up confused if he left. However, Konoha did have a point; he hadn’t moved from this chair in a while and he needed to shower as well as eat...and take a nap if he could fit it in. 

“I’ll stay here with Bokuto, and if I have to go, one of the others will take my place.” 

“Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll stay here overnight though.” He could feel Konoha’s slightly disappointed stare but ignored it. It was a miracle the knight was getting him to leave as it was.  
____________________________________________

Now clean, changed and full of food, Akaashi made his way down to Suzumeda’s healing room only to be stopped by his father.

“Is something wrong?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed that he couldn’t go back to Bokuto’s side immediately as he planned.

“The traitor -Arugumi- hasn’t given anything up. How long do you think we should give him before we change methods?” His father asked, forehead wrinkled and dark shadows under his eyes.

“Give him a couple more days...but if there’s no change, should I ask Nekoma to send Kuroo over?” 

“Only if worst comes to worst.” Akaashi nodded before walking into the healer’s room, pleased to see a topless Bokuto awake again, Suzumeda quietly talking to him before turning to Akaashi. 

“Akaashi-sama,” the healer bowed before gesturing to a half-filled bowl of broth on a stool next to Bokuto. “I believe Bokuto will be able to handle a liquid-diet until the poison leaves his body; I don’t want to push him with soft foods and have his body reject it.”

“That’s good, thank you Suzumeda.”

“I need to find Yukie and ask her something, I’ll leave you two be.” Akaashi nodded gratefully before Suzumeda picked up a book and left, softly shutting the door behind her. 

“Hey Keiji,” his lover waved weakly. “You rested enough?” 

“I’ve rested enough, but more importantly, how do you feel?” Akaashi asked as he picked up the bowl.

“Honestly? Pretty bad,” Bokuto replied before wincing, his hand moving up to touch his freshly-wrapped bandages. “Suzumeda says I can’t have my shirt back until my fever is low and stable, so I reckon she’s gonna let me sweat it out until it breaks.” 

“As she should, but hopefully it’ll break soon. Open your mouth,” Akaashi instructed as he lifted the broth-filled spoon to Bokuto’s mouth, the other complying without hesitation. This process repeated until the bowl was empty, Akaashi setting it back on the stool. 

“Arugumi hasn’t said anything yet,” he murmured as he held his boyfriend’s hand, drawing circles in his palm. 

“You think he will? He is a spy after all, they know what they’re signing up for.” 

“If he doesn’t then I’ll send an owl over to Nekoma and ask for Kuroo, hopefully they’ll allow it.” 

“You do whatever you think’s best Keiji.”  
____________________________________________ 

“No change,” Konoha ground out after he entered Akaashi’s room, the former searching his desk draws for an envelope. 

“As I suspected. I’m sending a letter to Nekoma about it, hopefully they’ll help us.” Akaashi smirked as he found an envelope with Fukuroudani’s symbol on it, quickly sealing a letter inside of it and motioning for Konoha to follow him. 

“You’re asking for Kuroo-san?” The sandy-haired knight asked, quickening his pace to keep up with Akaashi’s.

“He’s the one who cracked the Nohebi spy. If anyone can get Arugumi to answer, it’s him.” Akaashi almost sighed at the sight of rain but powered through it to reach the owl barn, it only pausing for a brief amount of time before continuing over the last few days. 

“Don’t you call him ‘Pain-in-the-ass-san’?”  
“I do, but he’s also Bokuto’s best friend. He should be tolerable this time, besides, nearly everywhere he goes, someone comes with him to keep him in check.” 

“It might be Yaku this time.”

“Possibly.”

Akaashi released a relieved sigh at seeing Sepekuru on a low perch, thankful she was complacent when he opened the pouch on her chest and slipped in the envelope before making sure it was secure. 

“Nekoma,” he stated, tapping her foot twice and stepping backwards as she flew off the perch and out of the window.

Now it was a matter of waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I’m on break now so I have more time to write! This AU is really interesting to write because there’s so much I can do with it, however I have no clue how many chapters I’ll write for this. Most of my writing is go along with the flow and have a minimum of 1000 words per chapter. 
> 
> 2) I have no clue how interrogation works so don’t expect a masterpiece lol.
> 
> 3) Enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment!

Bokuto was exhausted and cold, but Suzumeda insisted he waited until his fever lowered until he could wear more layers. 

This damn fever only let him have a few hours of consciousness at most, with the smallest movements tiring him out far too quickly for his liking. If he compared himself to what he was a week ago, he would wince at the vast contrast. 

Strength and boundless energy were traded for barely being able to pick up a bowl and shaking limbs by the time he made it back to his bed from the toilet. 

His fever had died down from where it was before, so he was able to wear a loose shirt -he was delirious before, apparently- but it was high enough that Suzumeda wanted him to stay there, along with the fact his coughing fits made him wheeze at times.

It was day two or three of him staying in the healer’s room -keeping track of time was difficult when he’s asleep for most of it- and he was bored, having always been an active person.

If he was awake -he hated being so tired all the time- he stared at the ceiling, counting the numerous cracks above him. 

He decided Suzumeda needed her ceiling plastered at some point after counting over 200 cracks. 

He’d also counted all of the bottles on the side countless times, sorting them by height, width and size to the point where someone could ask him about the placing of a specific bottle and he could point to it with his eyes closed. 

The only good part was when someone was around, with the knights taking turns to visit him and Akaashi visiting the longest, sometimes staying with him for hours to read books and go through hypothetical scenarios (they couldn’t do it for long considering he had to fight the claws of sleep 90% of the time).

“Keiji?”

“Yes Kou?” 

“How long have I been here?”

“Three days.”

“Oh.” 

The door opened, Bokuto’s eyes snapping towards the movement while Akaashi turned around.

“Bo-”

“Kuroo?” Bokuto’s eyes were wide as his hands shook (in an effort to keep warm or from the shock of Kuroo’s sudden appearance, he didn’t exactly know). “What the hell are you doing here? Nekoma let you leave?” 

His best friend looked the same -albeit a bit tense- with messy hair and piercing eyes, the gold Nekoma seal proudly emblazoned on his scarlet top. 

“They sure as hell did,” Kuroo smirked before frowning at Bokuto’s appearance. Something flickered in his eyes, but it was too quick for Bokuto to catch. 

“Did anyone else come with you?” 

“Nah, they wanted as many people at the castle as possible. Kai is staying with Kenma and Yaku is taking my place as head knight for now.” Kuroo paused. “You look like you fought against a bear again.”

“That was one time,” he whined before he was forced into a coughing fit, Akaashi handing him a tissue that came away with green phlegm. “The guy got lucky and slashed my chest with a poisonous sword, I’ve been here for almost a few days now.” He winced, his chest stinging after the force of the coughing fit.

“Well he isn’t gonna be lucky when he has to deal with me.” 

“You’re definitely annoying enough that he’ll crack on the first day,” Akaashi said as he stood up, ignoring Kuroo’s outraged cry of ‘I’m a delight!’, placing a kiss against Bokuto’s forehead. “We’ll be back in a few hours,” he murmured. 

“Okay.” 

Kuroo waved as Akaashi shut the door, leaving Bokuto with his shivering-self once more.  
___________________________________________

“You didn’t say he was that bad!” Kuroo hissed once they were walking down the side corridor leading to the dungeons, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. 

“It’s not like I can give a detailed description in a letter Kuroo-san.” The guards opened the door to the dungeons.

“Yeah, but you could say more than ‘he’s injured’ couldn’t you? The guy has bandages wrapped around his chest and a nasty cough along with it. Oh, and don’t think I missed him wincing after the coughing fit.” Akaashi’s eyebrow twitched.

“Well, you’ve seen him for yourself now.” He stopped in front of Komi and Konoha, both of them stationed in front of Arugumi’s cell. 

“Same room as before?” Konoha asked, taking the key to the cell out of his pocket when Akaashi nodded. 

He unlocked the door and dragged a bloodied Arugumi out; Komi gripped the man’s shoulder and steered him in the direction of the interrogation room. 

Akaashi pretended he didn’t see the dark circles under Arugumi’s eyes and the blood in his dark hair. 

The spy was forced into a chair and tied down, Konoha standing behind him and Komi stationed at the door. 

Kuroo cracked his knuckles before sitting on the chair opposite Arugumi, seeming completely at ease with the situation. ‘Then again, he is the interrogator,’ Akaashi thought. 

“So,” he drawled, “Arugumi, is it?” The spy stared blankly at Kuroo. “What prompted you to attack that knight? Or was the original plan to kill the prince?” 

Akaashi couldn’t see any change in Arugumi’s body language, but Kuroo was watching every move, never taking his eyes off of his victim. 

“I reckon you work for Mujinazaka.” Arugumi still didn’t move, but Kuroo smirked before carrying on. “All Nohebi citizens have a certain gleam in their eyes -as well as the fact their eyes are narrower than normal Japanese folk, but that’s a trait that’s been passed down for years- and there’s always been a certain thing with Mujinazaka. Maybe it’s their aura, it’s intimidating -especially Kiryū- but once you have them cornered they don’t say anything.” 

This went on for another hour before Kuroo stood up, a grin across his face. This puzzled Akaashi: Arugumi hadn’t spoken at all during the hour, only shifting position once or twice during the meeting while Kuroo looked like he was playing a game of cat and mouse, his eye glinting at every little shift.

“Thanks for the meeting Arugumi, I enjoyed that,” Kuroo smirked before letting Akaashi walk out, following him. 

Konoha and Komi followed with Arugumi between them, going to lock him up in his cell.

They walked upstairs in silence, Akaashi thinking over what happened during the whole hour and Kuroo deep in thought. 

“How much did you get from that?” Akaashi asked once they entered an empty room where they wouldn’t be overheard. 

“All I got was he’s from Mujinazaka,” Kuroo scowled.

“How do you know that though?” 

“When I mentioned Mujinazaka, his pupils dilated, meaning he’s fond of it.” Akaashi raised an eyebrow. “People’s eyes will dilate when they like something. It’s why I was so focused on his eyes.” 

“Either way, we need more information. How long are Nekoma allowing you to stay?” 

“A week maximum. They want me back before the Nohebi soldiers decide to enter our borders instead of hovering around them.” 

“Nohebi are near Nekoma? You beat them a couple of weeks before you came here, surely they don’t have enough men to spare for another attack.”

“Yes, but Kenma wants me back to help him strategise and Kai is concerned there’ll be a battle around the border very soon. Everyone is on edge.” 

Akaashi held back a sigh, debating whether to pick up a book from his room and visit Bokuto or go straight there. 

“Are you going to visit Bokuto now?” He asked Kuroo.

“Yeah, the poor guy is probably bored out of his mind, he’s never been able to sit still for long,” Kuroo smiled slightly. 

Opening the door to the healer’s room, Akaashi was caught off guard to see Bokuto with his shirt off and cloth on his forehead again, his shivering visible from where he stood.

“Suzumeda?” He called out as he sat beside Bokuto, hating how shivers wracked his lover’s body as he held Bokuto’s tense hand. 

“Akaashi-sama,” the healer appeared in the doorway leading to the storeroom, “his fever has risen over the past half an hour.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kuroo asked.

“Yes. You can go to the market and buy these items, I can make a medicine and it should help.” Suzumeda handed Kuroo a list and a pouch. “That should be enough to cover the expenses, however if it isn’t I’ll pay back whatever you spend.” Kuroo nodded before rushing out the door, hastily shutting it behind him. 

“How did it rise so quickly?” He asked as Suzumeda ground up some herbs.

“I’m not sure; it could be a delayed reaction or that Bokuto isn’t fully able to fight the poison.” 

“You haven’t found out which one it is?” 

“Considering the worst that has happened is a fever and a cough, barely anything has been narrowed down. Our best chance of finding out is from the spy himself.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) So I realised how long it’d been since I’d updated this and felt kinda bad. My exam week took over most of the time for finishing off this chapter and I wrote the rest today so here it is! 
> 
> 2) Some people may have wanted a fight scene during the first chapter and I felt bad for skipping it, so I hope it lives up to your expectations!
> 
> 3) I don’t have any proper medical knowledge so a certain part in the chapter may be wrong 😅 It coming up on my search history may be weird as well so...
> 
> 4) I hope you enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment!

Everything was hazy and Bokuto couldn’t think properly, his thoughts muddled and head hot.

His throat was like sandpaper and his body couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be overly warm -the sickly kind- or freezing cold, the air flow either being too weak to cool him down or too strong and provoking another round of shivering. 

“Koutarou?” A soft voice penetrated his thoughts.  
He tried to speak, but his tongue laid heavy in his mouth, too much of a weight to shift. 

He could feel sweat collecting everywhere, predominantly his palms; overall he felt too hot even though there was a cool cloth on his forehead.   
He tried to lick his cracked lips and mumble something.

“You’ll be fine, don’t worry. Don’t push yourself.” 

He couldn’t tell who the voice belonged to, feeling as if his eyelids had become the heaviest thing to lift.   
He stumbled through the land of wakefulness, often drifting in and out of it, catching distorted conversations and shattered murmurs. 

Words about medicine and money were the only things he could catch onto, but they weren’t held for long, soon being released from his short term memory in favour of thoughts about how the temperature had swung from boiling to freezing yet again.

“Koutarou?” He forced his eyes open only to wince at the brightness of the room, squinting at the blurred form of Akaashi. “Can you drink this for me?” 

He made out a cup full of something in front of him and gave a weak nod, the cup settling around his lips. 

His sense of taste was gone, but the runny sludge made its way down his throat without triggering a round of coughing. 

Quiet words without any meaning to him were exchanged as drowsiness took over, everything blurring into one until he was claimed by sleep.   
____________________________________________

Akaashi internally gave a relieved sigh at the sight of Bokuto sleeping, the tenseness in his body slowly but surely leaving. 

“Thank you for buying the herbs and honey,” Suzumeda said to the Nekoma knight.

“It’s fine, I just want Bo to get better.” Kuroo ran a hand through his bedhead, tiredness showing as he leant against Suzumeda’s table. 

“How long did it take you to travel?” Akaashi asked.

“A day or so. I went as soon as I was given permission and travelled overnight.” 

“That’s risky.”

“It was necessary, otherwise I wouldn’t be here until the early hours of tomorrow.”

“Fair enough. Do you know which room you’re staying in?” 

“Yeah, Saruki showed me once I arrived.” Something dark showed in Kuroo’s eyes. “I reckon there’s going to be a war.” 

“Everyone thinks so, it’s a matter of when it’s declared.” 

“Nohebi is ruled by a corrupt leader, Ichibayashi and Mujinazaka have joined forces and Morikawa is moving too far into our regions,” Kuroo sighed. “Let’s not even get started on Miyagi. I’m amazed war hasn’t broken out between Shiratorizawa and Aoba Johsai.” 

“Does Nekoma have any clear allies there?” 

“Potentially Karasuno since King Nekomata and King Ukai had a strong connection. I think as long as Karasuno demonstrate they are a worthy ally, we’ll back them.” 

“Then we will too.” Akaashi felt a potential headache coming from stress and his lack of sleep. “I’m going to rest here, are you going to too?”

“I’ll rest in my room, thanks for Fukuroudani’s hospitality by the way,” Kuroo rolled his shoulders before leaving.   
____________________________________________

“I don’t matter now Keiji, just go!” He yelled at Akaashi, frightened at the prospect of losing his lover, and more importantly the Prince of Fukuroudani, to an assassin that he could stop.

“Damned Fukuroudani knights,” the hooded person hissed, “always meddling with plans that shouldn’t be interfered with.” The spy lunged forward, his sword aimed at Bokuto’s stomach.

Bokuto evaded the sword and lifted his own up, aiming to slash the assassin’s back.

Bringing down his sword, Bokuto didn’t expect the assassin to recover quickly enough to pivot around and block Bokuto’s sword, the two weapons creating a metallic sound that bounced off of the corridor walls. 

“Why did you attempt to attack the prince?” Bokuto gritted out, using all the pressure he could to break the block.

They alternated between attacks and blocks, creating a metallic melody; both men were strong enough to fend off their opponent’s attacks and fast enough move out of the way in time. 

Time sped up, Bokuto unable to see a break the other’s speed and blocks, only being able to get small cuts on his enemy. 

He wondered amongst his thoughts too long and hesitated, reaping the results soon after.

“Agh!” He yelped, distracted by the excruciating pain in his chest, his other hand reaching to feel the damage on instinct.

The torches flickered from soft gold to blinding white, everything becoming overwhelming. 

“Ha!” The assassin slashed his chest a couple more times, tearing the fabric of his robe and dyeing it scarlet.

Bokuto sucked in pained breaths, attempting to focus himself enough to finish this fight.

His enemy lunged forwards with his sword, but Bokuto blocked and advanced, throwing everything he had into his next few moves. 

Block, attack, swing -how long would it take until someone noticed the sounds of a sword fight?- attempted attack-

Bokuto blocked with all the strength he had, his attacker’s sword bouncing off and clattering to the floor due to the excess energy. 

It was becoming more difficult to breathe with every minute passed and Bokuto didn’t know how much longer he’d last. He was losing precious seconds trying to recover-

“Gah!” His sword fell to the ground as he did, the force of his attacker’s tackle sending it too far away from him to reach.

“Die, Fukuroudani scum!” He vaguely recognised the voice of his enemy, but he was more preoccupied with avoiding the knife coming down on his face-

Bokuto shifted his head in time to only receive a cut to the face and not a full-blown stab, however that didn’t dissuade his attacker from trying again. 

How much did this person weigh? Bokuto tensed his lower body, his goal to throw this person off and reach his sword. 

“Screw it. If I can’t end you with weapons, then I’ll end you with my own fists-”

The wounds on his chest demanded his attention when he began to wheeze after every hit, one of the punches leaving him with a split lip and another making the cold floor spin.

Wait, the floor couldn’t spin, it was solid and was unlikely to move...

“Koutarou!” He weakly moved his head, eyes suddenly becoming too heavy to open. “Koutarou wake up, it’s just a dream-!”  
____________________________________________

Akaashi didn’t expect to wake up to see his beloved thrashing around on the futon, torso soaked with sweat and forehead burning higher than before.

“Koutarou wake up!” He shook Bokuto’s arm, not expecting exhausted eyes to flutter open and blearily gaze at him. 

“‘T wasn’t real?” Bokuto muttered hoarsely, cheeks flushed from fever and breath wheezy from the recent coughing fit.

“No. You’re in the healer’s room now,” Akaashi held Bokuto’s hand firmly, hoping he served as an anchor to reality for his boyfriend.

“‘kay...”

“Akaashi-sama,” Akaashi looked up to see Suzumeda, the healer frowning. “I’m going to run a cold bath for Bokuto, it’ll help keep his fever down.” Akaashi nodded before looking back at Bokuto, hating how hot his skin was yet his lover’s body was tormented by shivers. 

When Suzumeda motioned the bath was ready, Akaashi helped support Bokuto’s half-conscious body to the tub.

“His bandages are wrapped with a fabric that will stop the slashes from getting wet. I’ll leave you to bathe him if that’s all right?”

“It’s fine, thank you for preparing the bath. How long does he need to stay in here?” Akaashi asked.

“Around 15 minutes. I’ll knock on the door when the time is up.” 

Suzumeda closed the door behind her when she left, leaving Akaashi to strip his boyfriend and manhandle him into the bath.

It was a difficult task to get Bokuto into the tub without the water splashing everywhere, but Akaashi managed and perched on the stool next to Bokuto, making sure his lovers head stayed above the water. 

“K-Keiji,” Akaashi met Bokuto’s fevered gaze, “why’s it so cold?” 

“You need to stay in here to help your fever calm down,” Akaashi replied quietly. 

“How long for?”

“Suzumeda said around 15 minutes. I think she’ll let you wear a top after, maybe a blanket if your fever stays low.”

Bokuto didn’t reply, choosing to close his eyes instead.   
Akaashi watched the rise and fall of his chest, using a cloth to gently wipe down Bokuto’s face while the former shivered. 

Suzumeda knocked on the door later to tell him Bokuto needed to get out of the bath, but she helped lift the half-conscious knight out and kept him standing while Akaashi dried him. 

“Bokuto can have his top back and if his fever stays low for longer than half an hour, I’ll find a blanket for him.”

“Thank you Suzumeda.” 

Bokuto blinked owlishly during the conversation, hearing but not absorbing anything, too exhausted to try. 

“Hey Keiji?” Akaashi nodded as he helped Bokuto lie down on the new futon, the other one being cleaned by Suzumeda seeing as it was soaked with sweat. “How much information has Arugumu given away?” 

“Not enough, but we have Kuroo and he’ll help.”

“That’s good,” Bokuto yawned before weakly holding Akaashi’s hand and drifting back to sleep.

Once Kuroo managed to get some important information out of Arugumi, there would be hell to pay; Akaashi would make sure of that.


End file.
